York beats crosstown rivals Toronto to expand winning streak
Daniel Rependa
Staff Writer
@excalweb
The York Lions men’s basketball team beat the Toronto Varsity Blues January 21 in a nerve-wracking 79-65 game. A game with a 14-point deficit doesn’t seem like it would warrant the description “nerve-wracking,” but the game was a lot closer than the score board suggested.
The Blues and Lions rank near the bottom of the OUA ranks. Although both teams were performing poorly this season, the even match would make for an exciting game.
The Lions started off with a strong first quarter and intense man-on-man defence. Their shots were all falling and their offence, with respect to their motion and positioning, was solid. This intense defence coupled with relentless motion and fast-paced offence led to an early lead of 24-13.
In the second quarter, the Lions’ defence obstructed them. With the Lions defending their men five to 10 feet above the three-point line, they were bound to get beat at times, in addition to putting their defenders in tricky positions. However, the Lions’ natural athleticism and overall greater speed made up for this.
The third quarter is when the Lions lost their stride. There were a couple of reasons for this. First, the Lions continued to play a man-on-man defence, which looked physically exhausting, given the intensity. Second, the Lions’ offence suffered as they seemed to just stand still at times. Lastly, the Blues finally decided to pass the ball to their six-foot-seven centre, Andrew Wasik, thinking maybe their dominant rebounder and biggest man on the court might actually be able to contribute offensively. Well, it wasn’t long after that strategy was employed that the Blues closed the third quarter with a one-point deficit, and a 51-50 score for the Lions.
The fourth quarter was the pivot point when Justin Bell, the Lions’ six-foot-six forward, played impeccable defence on Wasik, effectively shutting him down for the remainder of the quarter. The Lions hit five three-pointers in the first four minutes of the game, and gained some key offensive rebounds and jump shots. They finished the game with 17 of 21 free throws and a 28-point fourth quarter. Although the final score doesn’t seem to evoke any images of an exciting game, it all came down to an extremely well-played fourth quarter.
So, what does this mean for the Lions? The Lions have won the past three of four games, the best they have been doing all season, which hopefully means they are showing signs of confidence and energy. David Tyndale has been sparking the offence yet again, scoring 23 points in this game’s contest with players like Richard Iheadindu offering support scoring 17 points and Nick Tufegdzich grabbing nine boards. With their next two games being against Carleton and Ottawa, two of the top teams in the OUA, this win streak could be the high that the Lions need for two wins against the top two teams in the division.
For now, the Lions are moving well, using their athleticism, hustling extremely hard on their defence, and the records of the last four games have been leaning in favor of the Lions because of it. The first three quarters of the season have been rough thus far for the Lions, however, a win streak now could translate into a learning experience for the future of this team and a positive end for the season.
